In Chapter 3, “Exploring FileMaker Pro,” you became familiar with the FileMaker Pro application environment. You learned about the commands that FileMaker Pro provides and the various ways that you can access them.

In this chapter, you use what you learned to explore and work with the database you created. You change, add, and delete records; navigate through records and layouts; and much more. This chapter provides you a more thorough understanding of how to use a FileMaker Pro database.

Changing an Existing Record

When you created the Contacts database, FileMaker Pro automatically added the first record for you. With the exception of the First Name field, the record is empty. Let’s change that record by entering data in the fields.

Click the Title field. A drop-down menu displays. Here, you can select a title. Select a value from the list. Notice that the field has a thin highlight around it. That’s how you can tell which field you are in.

Click the First Name field. Enter your first name in the field.

Click the Last Name field and enter your last name.

Save the changes that you made to the record. In database terms, we refer to the act of saving changes to a record as committing the changes. To commit your changes, click anywhere in the content area of the window where a field or button isn’t present.